Archive for October 26th, 2006
Denpasar means, ‘by the market’ and the biggest market in Denpasar, is
Pasar Badung. Pasar Badung has 4 floors in a giant concrete structure that is rather like a parking structure. Different floors carry different goods, starting with the fruit and veg market outside. Inside the first floor is a large fish market and let me tell you, today it smelt like an
Asian fish market.
Organized chaos reigns outside, with cars and motorbikes trying to find a place to park, people carrying bushels of produce of every kind imaginable. Come in the morning and check out the food vendors. Satay and hot spicy Balinese snacks are made right there by weather worn Balinese women, some who have been working the market for 30 years. Others come her to sell ceremonial offerings.
You might see the odd westerner here, but by no means is this a tourist destination. Above the fish market are floors containing spices and ceremonial equipment, including sarong and umbrellas. Parking for a motorbike here is 500rp.
Denpasar has a decent sized Muslim population, and they sell in the market too, along with Chinese traders. Pasar Badung is apparently open 24/7, although I have not been there at 3am to confirm this. To get to Pasar Badung from Kuta, drive on Jl. Imam Bonjol towards Denpasar. You keep going straight until you are forced to make a left or right turn at Jl. Gajah Mada. Turn right and its just around the corner. You know its the market when you see the huge building with all the activity around it.
Pasar Badung
•Where it is: Its in Denpasar of off Jl. Gajah Mada
•When it is open: Open all the time, but different activities happen depending on the time.
•Best time to visit: A day its not raining, between 8am-12 noon. Plenty of snack food vendors.
•How much does it cost to get in: Free. 500rp for motorbike.
•What’s there for a westerner: You might find a sarong or tishirt on the 3rd floor for a girt. Great photo opportunities.
•Distance from Kuta: Taking Jl. Iman Bonjol it takes maybe 15-20 minutes to get there, depending on traffic.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 26th, 2006
This afternoon at
Pasar Badung market in Denpasar, I went up to the 3rd floor, to look for a Balinese jacket, to wear at Wayan’s wedding. A lady in Global Xtreme, told me I could pick up one for 50,000-100,000rp.
Pasar Badung is tightly packed with narrow alleyways of merchandise, piled up high. Store owners eagerly pointed me to one of their friends, who sold the jackets and I tried one on. Here in Indonesia, when something doesn’t fit, they will insist it does, and looks terrific. I liked the color of the jacket and the udeng (headgear), but wanted a bigger size. A couple of stores down the alley, another lady had a jacket that fitted me better. The udengs were not so nice though and she wanted 150,000rp for the jacket alone. Tossing in a bit of Bahasa Indonesia, really helps in these situations. I know I’m going to pay over the odds, but am prepared to walk away, and don’t invest too much energy in the process.
We worked an agreement where I got the bigger jacket and the udeng for 120,000rp, both satified. The color of the jackets does not have any real significance and they come in a multitude of colors, including white, cream, black and navy blue. I got blue as it goes well with the brown sarong I have. Hope Wayan appreciates all the trouble this bule went to, for her wedding.
source : www.baliblog.com
October 26th, 2006
Some places come as a surprise. Others can be a total shock. A friend of mine recently took me to a German Warung in Legian, which was a little piece of the Fatherland, in the middle of no-mans land.
This evening I went back and sampled the food once more, the World Cup in Berlin, creeping back into my conciousness. Warung ExtraBlatt ( I think it means something like ‘extra page’), is located on Jl. Nakula, across Jl. Legian from Jl. Double Six. The road there is like the surface of the moon, the only things I had noticed there before, were massage parlours, petrol racks and the odd local food stall.
Warung ExtraBlatt has some bench seating outside and about 3 other tables. Both times I have been there a group of German speakers, including the owner, have parked themselves out in front.
The staff are all Indonesian, the menu German and the portions large! I had sliced pork with dumplins, in mushroom sauce for 29,000rp. I added a side portion of mashed potatoes, just to fulfill the European food urge. Everything was great and I’d recommend it. The other time I came, my friend devoured a giant plate of pork ribs, (even though he’s Jewish), which seemed like they’d never end.
The menu includes:
Meat Loaf - 25,000rp
Grosse Bratwurst - 25,000rp
Weiss wurst - 25,000rp
Hirten wurst - 22,000rp
Hamburger knacker - 22,000rp
Nurnberger - 22,000rp
Swiss Cervelat - 25,000rp
Beef Frankfurter - 25,000rp
Cury Sausage - 22,000rp
Pork steak - 23,000rp
Zurick - 36,000rp
Kassler - 23,000rp
Schwein Braten - 29,000rp
Pork Rib - 29,000rp
Pork Schnitzel - 25,000rp
Gemischter Braten - 32,000rp
Sliced Pork - 29,000rp
There is a ton of other stuff including 2 fish items and 2 chicken items. German food is after all, pork and bread. They have some basic desserts.
If you get the munchies for a brat, you can call for delivery.
Warung ExtraBlatt
Jl. Nakula
Legian
Bali
(0361)732982
source : www.baliblog.com
October 26th, 2006